Josiah C. Thomas formally charged with murder

A Fort Wayne man has been formally charged in Allen Superior Court with murder, carrying a handgun and carrying a handgun without a license in a March 19 drive-by shooting.

Josiah C. Thomas, 22, of the 6200 block of Salisbury Drive, was formally charged Monday. According to court documents prosecutors believe that Thomas allegedly shot Gerelle Ramone Borum at about 1:12 p.m. March 19 in the area of Rudisill Boulevard and Indiana Avenue

According to court documents, Thomas allegedly saw Borum walking down Rudisill as Thomas was driving down the street. Thomas slowed and verified that it was Borum, then stopped his vehicle and allegedly began shooting Borum. Thomas said he knew he had hit Borum in the leg because he saw Borum jump, according to the documents. As Thomas drove away several witnesses saw him leaving the area.

Uniform officers found Thomas in his vehicle through witnesses' descriptions and pulled him over. The car was impounded and search warrants were obtained. Investigators found a gunshell in the driver's compartment that was of the same caliber and make of the shell casings that were found at the crime scene.

According to the court documents, during the interview with Thomas, Fort Wayne Police said Thomas told them he had shot at Borum with a .32-caliber handgun with hollow-point bullets. The shell casings recovered from both the scene and the vehicle were .the same caliber.

Borum died as a result of the shooting at Lutheran Hospital after surgery.

Thomas has a previous conviction for carrying a handgun without a license from Aug. 12, 2010.

Borum's death was Fort Wayne's third shooting death in less than a week.